Authorities capture man in Mason standoff

BELFAIR - A man in his 50s is in the Mason County jail following a three-hour standoff Wednesday with authorities after he allegedly beat up and shot at his girlfriend.

The standoff ended around 1:30 p.m. when authorities from the Mason County Sheriff's Office burst into the man's motorhome and found him cowering inside.

Earlier, a deputy was called to the man's home on Tiger Cove Lane on a report that the resident had beaten his girlfriend and then began shooting at her when she tried to run away. No bullets hit her. At the time, authorities feared the man had a cache of weapons. They found two guns, a revolver and a rifle.

Authorities that included Mason County Fire District No. 2 aid crews first whisked the woman to a safe location away from the home. The woman said the man had beaten her badly and dragged her by the hair. She complained of wrist pain. An earlier report that aid crew took her to Harrison Medical Center for treatment were incorrect, according to Mason County Detective Bill Adam.

Authorities closed off a big section of nearby Northeast Tiger Mission Road, which accesses both Tiger and Mission lakes. Residents could neither come nor go, and a couple of people were stranded for the full three hours, Adam said.

"All of the neighbors are happy that they are back in," Adam said.

The man was to be charged Thursday morning in Mason County Superior Court.